Love and Fire
by CoralGirl
Summary: A collection of one-shots of the fire nation royal family  and friends . I will tend to concentrate on romantic relationships, especially Maiko. Will also deal with some of the family issues the royal family has. Also, I need to find a good title.
1. The Picnic

**I actually wrote this story a long time ago, when I was 13 (I'm 18 now). I re-found it when browsing through and I clicked on RealCoral's account. Her (My) account is still there. But anyway, I kind of proofread the story and added more detail. I like it better now ^^**

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><p>Before she left, Ursa had started a tradition of picnicking as a family every year under the cherry trees. But now the glue that kept the family together was gone and everyone, especially Azula and Ozai refused to acknowledge it.<p>

Zuko, however, wanted the legacy of Ursa to continue. Although there were certain family traditions he had despised, seeing the Ember Island Players being the one that first came to mind, he had always enjoyed the annual event. It was one of the few times in the year when he could talk to his father casually and when Azula would tone down on her teasing (although she would still call him Zuzu).

The first spring without Ursa, Zuko began to make plans for the picnic. Although he did not think it was likely for Azula or Ozai to accompany him, he tried to keep a positive attitude. He made a checklist of everything he needed and gathered the courage needed to talk to his father (who barely talked to him now that Ursa was gone) and Azula (who very rarely talked about their family).

He decided to approach the subject first to Azula. She refused to attend without hesitation, saying that it was too childish and pointless, especially when food was being made by professionals in the palace. Zuko got the feeling that there was another reason, but did not question anything.

Not completely dissuaded, he went up to his father during the few times when he was not in meetings.

"Will you come with me?"

"No," was his father's response. The Firelord glared at Zuko for a few seconds, making Zuko feel self-conscious. The few times his father talked to him was usually to offer criticism. To Zuko's relief however, Ozai simply turned around and left for yet another war meeting.

Zuko wanted to ask his uncle Iroh to go with him. However, he was still in deep mourning over the death of Lu Ten and had decided to travel around the world. The prince did not know if and when he would come back. Besides, the best time to watch the cherry trees was almost over.

Now desperate, Zuko started to ask the random people of the palace to help him out, including the servants and the cooks. All said they were too busy but Zuko could tell that they were uncomfortable with the situation. He had no friends his own age, seeing how he had been homeschooled by tutors, and all his tutors were too strict to ask.

Zuko could tell that people were starting to pity him, which just made him more depressed. After all, he was a prince, even if he was just twelve years old.

Everything had been upside down ever since Lu Ten died. His mother and uncle left. Azula teased and bullied him more than ever before and his father barely acknowledged him. All Zuko wanted was to get things back to the way they were.

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><p>Although Zuko waited a while to see if anyone would change their mind, he ultimately decided no one would. Since the cherry tree season was almost over, he elected to just go by himself and remember the time their family was actually happy.<p>

He packed a basket with his favorite food. He then miserably left the palace and headed to a nearby seaside cliff, where the family always set up the picnic. It gave beautiful views of both the giant cherry tree and the ocean. To give it an extra touch of magic, there was almost always a gentle seaside breeze.

As he was leaving the palace, he saw Mai walking around the garden, dropping breadcrumbs everywhere to feed to the birds.

"Hello Mai," said Zuko. Mai jumped a little, surprised.

"Oh, hi Zuko," she said, blushing. Why she was so strange around Zuko, he didn't know. He was too young to understand his sister's best friend's feelings.

"Where are you going?" asked Mai, still blushing, as Zuko seemed reluctant to talk. She wished the earth would swallow her up.

"Nowhere," answered Zuko.

"You can't really be going nowhere, Zuko, everyone goes somewhere," said Mai, trying to sound smart. However, Zuko just looked at her with an unreadable expression, although she suspected he was either annoyed or angry. Mai blushed yet again. Ty Lee would say it was some sort of record. Blushing, that is.

A long and awkward silence followed and Mai wished even harder that she could control the red on her face.

"See you Mai," said Zuko after a long awkward silence. Mai just waved back, slightly ashamed.

Mai stared at Zuko and wondered what he carried in his picnic basket and where he was going. A picnic? She almost laughed at the stupidity of her thoughts. She hesitated and decided to follow Zuko, unsure what to expect.

Her imagination raced during the long walk there. What if he was meeting a girl? After all, picnics could be very romantic. Or what if he was leaving the palace? Mai couldn't deal with Zuko's disappearance. Her thoughts continued to race, coming up with more and more unlikely reasons as to where Zuko was going.

Finally, the young prince stopped. The girl looked around. She saw a large cherry tree planted near the end of a cliff. In the backdrop, she saw the ocean, too bright to look at directly because of the noon sun. Other than grass, weeds, and the occasional flower, there was nothing else to see.

"I know you've been following me."

For the second time that day, Mai jumped at Zuko's voice. She turned a deep red and was lost for words, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse why she had been acting like a stalker.

"Why did you follow me?"

Mai considered jumping off the cliff. She still refused to meet Zuko in the eye.

With a sigh, the prince moved in her direction. _Stupid! Think of something!_

It wasn't until Zuko was directly in front of her that she finally lifted her gaze. The love of her life had an unreadable expression on his face. For a split second Mai thought about how handsome he looked.

"Why did you follow me?" he asked again. When he realized that Mai was still tongue tied however, the boy sighed again.

"It's okay you know. I was kind of looking for companionship."

He gave her a rare (and radiant) smile and grabbed her wrist.

_He's actually acting like a boy._

"Come on! Picnics are more fun with other people!"

"Okay," responded the girl in a small voice. The young girl had been waiting for a moment like this for a long time.

Her crush ran toward the basket under the cherry tree. He opened the lid and took out a large blanket. Zuko spread the blanket on the ground and began to unpack the food and plates. Mai stood close, wondering if she should help him out.

"What have you packed?" asked the girl after an awkward pause.

"Dumplings, curry, and fire flakes," answered the prince.

Mai wrinkled her nose, which caught the prince's attention. He stared at her for a few seconds.

"I hate fire flakes," she answered, "Flour and peppers don't mix."

"Have you tried them before?"

"No. But I hate fire flakes."

Zuko only shrugged in response and kept unpacking. Mai felt like she had said something wrong but she got that feeling every time she talked to him.

"I'm guessing you still like curry."

Mai nodded and proceeded to grab a plate, where she began to serve herself the food.

The two aristocrats then contented themselves by eating silently while staring at the falling cherry tree leaves. Mai felt like saying something, although she was not sure why. Zuko seemed to be in a sad mood and he kept clenching his jaw.

"Come on Mai," said Zuko after he cleaned his plate, "Why don't you try fire flakes?"

"I hate fire flakes!" yelled the young girl. Zuko looked back at her, ashamed.

"I'm sorry Zuko, I-" started Mai.

"Don't apologize," Zuko said abruptly, cutting her off mid-sentence, "I shouldn't be making you do something you don't want to do."

Zuko grabbed fire flakes and Mai just stared in silence at the sea, feeling once again like she had said something stupid. She did not notice Zuko was looking at her.

"I can't believe it!" yelled the young girl suddenly, "It's the rare panda lily!"

Mai had seen a bunch of panda lilies near the end of the cliff were they sat. Before Zuko could truly register what Mai meant, Mai stood up quickly and ran towards the flowers near the cliff. Zuko tried to stop her, saying it was too dangerous but Mai's legs seemed to have a mind of their own now.

However, when she reached the end of the cliff and looked down to where the ocean was waiting for her, she slipped. The young girl yelled, waiting for her death. Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. Instinctively, she held on to it.

"Mai!" yelled Zuko's voice from the top of the cliff, "don't let go of my hand!"

Mai was too afraid to tell him she did not have much of a choice. Zuko extended out his other hand and shouted to grab his other hand. Mai held it tightly, not realizing for a second that Zuko was holding her hand. With some effort, Zuko pulled her up. In a few seconds, he had her on the cliff unharmed but for a few mud stains and scratches.

Mai and Zuko sat sprawled on the floor for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. Suddenly Mai started crying, something rare.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, perplexed.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed.

"Huh?" he muttered confused.

Mai stood up to leave with her hands hiding her sobbing face but Zuko's hand stopped her once again.

"Why are you leaving?" he asked.

Mai glared at Zuko with eyes full of tears. Her gaze told Zuko nothing, but it still hit him like an electric shock. Zuko let go of her arm. Despite now having a free arm however, Mai stood there, forgetting her previous escape attempt. It was strange what a crush could do to the mind. One moment she wanted to do something, the next she was wishing she had fallen off the cliff. The two children stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak.

"Would you like some fire flakes?" asked Zuko finally, trying to defuse the tension. He walked back towards the picnic basket.

"I don't like fire flakes," said the girl for the last time.

"I know," said the prince with the bag of flakes on his hand.

"But I'm ready to try them" she said grinning. Yes, it was strange what a crush could do the mind.

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><p><strong>Please review! If I made any stupid mistakes, don't be afraid to correct me. I tried to make the interactions between the kids as natural as possible, but if it sounds weird to you, don't be afraid to tell me. As of right now, I am editing three chapters (go to RealCoral's account if you want a "sneak preview" of it). I also wrote a brand new chapter that deals with the romantic relationship between Ozai and Ursa. But again, it's in editing mode. I'll probably upload it soon though, maybe this weekend. That is, if people want me to keep writing :D<strong>


	2. The Interview

**So this is the second chapter of my little collection. This time it's about how Ursa and Ozai met. Since there is not a lot of information on how Ursa and Ozai related to each other, I made it all up~~~ Please review, even if you don't like it.**

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><p>"You will look so beautiful!"<p>

Ursa tried to keep her face calm, but apparently was not successful.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" asked her father.

"Nothing dad, I just don't want to get married."

Lord Bai stared at his daughter for a few seconds. He understood her predicament. When he was young, he had refused an arranged marriage. Then, when Bai was visiting an inn in Ember Island, fell in love with a maid that worked there. It was love at first sight and they had proceeded to get married quickly.

Ursa's mother, Yen, had been quiet and kind, but Bai had known very little about her or her family. No one from her side of the family had shown up at their wedding. He was curious about this and every time he asked her about her past or her family, she would just purse her lips and refuse to answer his questions. Five years after their wedding however, she finally admitted her past.

Yen was Roku's granddaughter and she had remained in hiding from the Fire Lord. Understandably, Bai had been shocked with the news. He still loved Yen however and kept her secret. Two years later, Yen became pregnant with Ursa. Together, they raised their only daughter. Fifteen years later, Yen died from pneumonia. And although Ursa was now eighteen, neither one had told her about the connection with the Avatar.

Coming out of his reverie, Bai considered his daughter.

Although she was normally a patient girl, Ursa had her arms folded across her chest while she tapped her foot and pursed her lips. It reminded Bai of his wife.

"I just don't want to get married," repeated Ursa.

"You know, I said the same thing until I met your mother."

"But I don't want to get married."

"I just want what's best for you Ursa and marrying a man like that will keep you happy for the rest of your life," explained her father, getting exasperated himself, "And I just want you to meet him. If you don't like him, you can back out at any time."

Ursa nodded at the compromise, but her eyebrows still furrowed in annoyance.

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><p>The young prince was getting dressed. His brother stood nearby, watching him chose his clothes. Servants milled around, just in case the prince needed anything.<p>

Ozai glared at his much older brother. Iroh drank tea with his young son. Iroh's wife had died shortly after giving birth, leaving Iroh to take care of a baby. Ozai and Iroh had never gotten along very well. For one, Iroh was a lot older and had spent very little time connecting with Ozai. For another, Ozai knew that his father Azulon had loved Iroh a lot more as his older child and the next in line to the throne.

"You have to choose soon, you know," said Iroh, "something beautiful."

Ozai hated getting instructions, especially from his brother. Throwing an internal temper tantrum, Ozai grabbed the ugliest clothes he could find in the closet, old and ripped from years of use. He changed quickly. After Iroh saw him wearing the old and ugly clothing, he sighed but said nothing.

A servant led Ozai to where he was supposed to meet all the girls who were fit to marry the royal family. It was a small yet incredibly decorative and expensive room. A mahogany desk and two chairs were placed in the middle of the room. A variety of paintings and ornaments adorned the walls. There was a door on the opposite side from where he entered. Ozai knew that on the other side there were many girls who would give their arm and leg to get married into the royal family.

But Ozai already knew he would hate them all. They were all airheads who wanted nothing more than to live a life of luxury and relaxation. It was going to be a long day.

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><p>On the other side of the door, Ursa tapped her foot, the only sign that she was annoyed. To make everything worse, she had one of the later appointments in the day with the prince. She would have to wait for quite a while before her name was called and went to meet the man she had only seen in passing. The thing that bothered her most though was the fact that she was surrounded by airheads who wanted nothing more than to live a life of luxury and relaxation. It was going to be a long day.<p>

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><p>One by one, the different hopeful girls walked into the interview room. Ozai dismissed them all as idiots. Most left crying.<p>

Ursa saw every girl leave from the interview room. A lot were crying or on the verge of tears. _At least everything is moving quickly._

Ursa tried to keep track of how many girls were being rejected but she lost count right around number 15. She then tried to see who would last the least and the longest amount of time in the interview room. As far as she could tell, the girl who had lasted the least amount of time was a pudgy girl who ran out crying with after less than one minute. The girl who lasted the longest was a girl with a horse-face who left after ten minutes.

_What is this man's problem?_

Finally, it was Ursa's turn. She took a deep breath and opened the door into the interview room.

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><p>Ozai's first reaction to Ursa was that she was very beautiful, the prettiest girl he had seen in the interviews, if not in his lifetime. She was wearing an elaborate pink dress and had adorned her hair in a way that accentuated her natural beauty. His second reaction, however, was to curse himself. He did not want to give Iroh or his father the satisfaction of falling for their plans to get him married off.<p>

"Good day," said Ursa.

Ozai did not reply. Ursa frowned.

"No wonder all the girls leave," she muttered under her breath.

Ozai heard her but did not reply. He was trying to figure out a way to get rid of this girl as well. Calling her out on her flaws? Wait, what flaws? She's perfect! Maybe he could insult her family? That might work.

"So how much did your parents pay just to have you sit here and get rejected?"

Ursa frowned, the only sign she was upset at this insult.

"Nothing. But I do feel I should be getting paid to sit here."

Well, the girl had guts. Ozai's thoughts kept coming back to her beauty, although he tried to fight it. A long silence came over them.

"Am I allowed to leave my Lord?" asked Ursa finally. Ozai got the feeling she was insulting him, but could not figure out how to reply. He pursed his lips. This girl was fascinating, a lot more than the others. Despite his initial conviction that he would not fall into his family's plans to marry him off, he was beginning to have doubts. This girl was making him doubt his resolve.

"What's your name?" he asked, ignoring the question.

"Ursa," she replied, "and you did not answer my question."

"Lady Ursa, would you please meet with me later?"

"No, and now if you'll excuse me, I would like to know if I can leave."

"No, you cannot leave," Ursa's stubbornness was having an effect on him, "just tell me about yourself."

"No, chase me out like those other girls."

Now Ozai was beginning to get annoyed. What was this girl saying? He was a prince! People would do anything for him.

"Only until you tell me why you want to leave," was his reply.

"I don't want to get married," she answered. A sudden surge of empathy struck Ozai.

"It's the same for me," he answered.

Ursa was a little shocked at this, but did not say anything. There was another long pause while the pair analyzed each other. Ozai noticed something attractive about Ursa, although he could not truly put his finger on it. It was more than just her beauty. He sensed an inner strength that was not in any of the other forty-three girls that he had met so far. Meanwhile, Ursa, despite her reservations, could not help but think about how handsome Ozai was. And, just like Ozai with Ursa, she felt something deeper about him.

"So, about that date," began Ozai after a long silence.

"Fine," she answered curtly, although a smile managed to escape her lips.

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><p><strong>Yay... Chapter 2 is up! I'm currently working on more Maiko relationships (again, go to RealCoral's account for a "sneak peak") and I'm also figuring out new story ideas. Hint: It involves how Azula grew up without a mother and how Zuko and Mai met. I'll write them as soon as I have free time. Anyway, please review.<strong>


	3. The Dance

**I'm actually updating faster than I thought I would. I said I would probably not update until the weekend, but I had some extra free time and I used it to edit my story. I did it fast though, so there might be a few basic mistakes/plot holes. IF YOU FIND ANY PLEASE TELL ME! Also, please review. I like reading your comments :3  
><strong>

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><p>The young girl from the rich family had everything. Shoes, clothes, lotions, perfumes, and more expensive things crowded her room and closet. This, in turn, made it very difficult for a certain young boy to find a good present when her birthday came.<p>

Zuko had looked everywhere to find Mai the perfect birthday present. So far, the search had been unsuccessful, the party was the next day, and the young prince was starting to get tired. He had no idea what nine-year-old (soon to be ten-year-old) girls wanted. Azula would have known but Zuko was too proud to ask her and even if he did, she would probably make fun of him. More than usual at least.

After another unsuccessful day of looking around the marketplace with his servants, Zuko slumped down on his bed. He was too tired to think.

The prince groaned. He wanted Mai to love his present above all others. It was the least he could do when, two months ago, she had accompanied him in that lonely picnic.

As his mind wandered, Zuko had a sudden idea. He was surprised that he had not thought of it before. He smiled to himself and decided to go on his quest as soon as he woke up the next day. First, he needed to sleep.

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><p>The next morning, Zuko jumped out of bed. He quickly changed into his fire bending practice clothes and took a piece of bread from the kitchen. He ran out of the castle using the same path he had used just two weeks before.<p>

He easily found what he was looking for. The rare Panda Lily, even rarer than the Tiger Lily, looked at him from the cliff's edge, almost like a taunt. Zuko knew Mai wanted that flower a lot. After all, she had almost died trying to get one.

Zuko took in a big breath, knowing that he was risking his life to get the lilies, and slowly inched closer. He tried not to look down but it was harder than he had imagined.

Finally, after a few minutes of crawling through the mud, he had a bunch of panda lilies held tightly between his fingers. Carefully, he crawled back, making sure not to crush the delicate flower. He stood up and walked back to the palace. Mai was going to be surprised at her birthday party tonight.

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><p>Once back in the palace, Zuko took a bath and changed into his nicer clothes. He took red tissue paper, a symbol of good luck and of the fire nation, and used it to wrap the flower's stems.<p>

Unexpectedly, Azula came into his room

"So Zuzu," she started.

"Don't call me that!"

"Hm, yeah, whatever," Azula rolled her eyes, "What did you buy Mai?"

"I bought nothing," replied the prince, "I got her some panda lilies. What did you get her?"

Azula showed her brother a knife set.

"Mai is not a firebender," she explained, "but she still needs to protect a princess. Doesn't she?"

Zuko did not know what to say to that, so he just glared at his sister and told her to leave the room.

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><p>As the daughter of a nobleman, Mai's birthday party was a grand affair. It took place in one of the main ballrooms of the royal palace; Azula had convinced Ozai to allow the party there. Red adorned everything, from the tablecloths to the draperies, with only gold and black accents. The only different colors were the gold plates and the guests, many who wore pinks, whites, and dark colors.<p>

Mai herself sat in a grand chair next to a table with presents greeting the newcomers, the polite thing to do. She was wearing an elaborate black and red dress, very clearly a very expensive present from a family member. Although most of Mai's presents were wrapped, Zuko imagined what most of them contained: perfumes, lotions, and clothing accessories.

No one except for Zuko had brought flowers though, at least as far as he could see. The boy smiled when he realized this.

Azula dropped her present off first. It was not even wrapped.

"I got you some knives," she said simply.

Mai seemed to be a little surprised at the present but said nothing. After all, Mai actually did enjoy battling. She thanked Azula, who left without a response and headed to the table with food.

Finally, it was Zuko's turn to drop off the present.

"Hello Mai," he said, one hand behind his back, hiding the flowers.

"Thank you for coming to my party," she said with a sincere smile.

"I got this for you," said the boy, holding up the collection.

Mai's eyes were tearful for a moment but there was a grin of happiness on her face. Shakily, she grabbed the lilies.

"Thank you," she whispered, incredulous.

In response, the boy smiled, bowed and stood to the side, knowing it was the polite thing to do when more newcomers were coming in.

If there had not been dozens of people inside the ballroom, Mai might have hugged Zuko and cried. Of course, is she had broken down like that Zuko would have avoided her for the next ten years or so. Mai didn't want to look creepy. Still, it would be wonderful if she could dance the night away with Zuko and then, at midnight, they would kiss and…

"My Lady Mai?" asked someone.

"What? Oh, yeah, welcome to my party," said the young girl, confused, at being woken up from her daydreams.

The young Fire Nation prince laughed. Mai blushed and looked at the floor intently, something she only seemed to do near Zuko. The prince made his way to the refreshments table. Mai stared at his back.

_Even his back looks cute._

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><p>It took thirty more minutes until the rest of the guests arrived and Mai was allowed to wander around. The first people she saw were Azula and Ty Lee, but they seemed to be busy talking about battling techniques. Apparently Ty Lee was learning a form of fighting that could stop motion and even bending.<p>

Although normally Mai would stop and talk with her friends, a cute boy kept wandering around in her mind.

After weaving around the other guests, Mai finally bumped into the prince.

"So, where are the flowers?" asked Zuko.

"I took them up to my room," responded the girl, "I didn't want them to be crushed in all this commotion."

"I see," was all he said before an awkward silence covered them again. _This happens way too often when I'm with him._

Like usual, Zuko was the one brave enough to break the tension.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"Um, sure," Mai was almost sure she would faint. Holding hands with Zuko? Close body contact? It was a dream come true. The only thing she needed was a midnight kiss to make her eleventh birthday more perfect.

She just hoped she did not look like a fool in the end. It would be terrible if her so far perfect day was ruined by her vomiting or stepping too many times on his feet.

The dance went on without a hitch however, although Azula and Ty Lee gave them a teasing glare while they danced in the middle of the floor. Both nobles danced well because of their training and they received some attention from the other party-goers.

Although Zuko and Mai didn't talk at all during their dance and they disconnected as soon as the song ended, it was Mai's best birthday for quite a long time.

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><p><strong>I'm currently working on three different stories for one-shots! As of right now, I know I will write:<strong>

**1. Azula centered chapter where I discuss what it is like to grow up without a mother and what it feels like to be the "unwanted child". I don't want to give it too much angst, so I haven't really written it yet, I just know I will.**

**2. The wedding ceremony of Ursa and Ozai, explore their relationship, I've begun the outline on this.  
><strong>

**3. More childhood experiences between Mai and Zuko, maybe how Mai comforted Zuko after his mother left? (I need to work on this a lot)  
><strong>

**Thinking about writing: What causes the relationship between Ursa and Ozai to change/suffer, Ozai's childhood and feelings of inferiority to Iroh, Iroh's relationship with Lu Ten, something with Ty Lee (I LOVE Ty Lee but I can't think of a proper conflict for her, since her family is never shown).**

**If you really like one of these ideas, please pressure me to write. If you think that there are ways for me to improve my writing or if you notice typos, please tell me. If you think my writing sucks and I should die in a fire, then... go screw yourself.**

**Whoa, a lot of info. PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW!  
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